5.4 Audit Opinion and Firm’s Value
The last hypothesis shows that companies whose financial statements are given
unqualified audit opinion have greater value. Table 5.2 reveals that DOPINION positively
affects P/E, P/B, and Tobin’s Q at different levels of significance. The effect of audit opinion
on P/E is significant at one per cent while on P/B and Tobin’s Q is significant at five per cent.
Goodness of fit (R2
and Adjusted R2
) shows significant improvement after controlling client
size and age.
Companies whose audited financial statements are with unqualified audit opinion tend
to have greater value. This is because unqualified audit opinion is the most positive and
strongest level of audit opinion that increases market response and confidence so that
company’s value is also positive. Up to this moment, it is possible for listed companies to
receive audit opinion other than unqualified opinion. This means that there is tolerance for
quality of financial statements prepared by managements of listed companies. In the future it
is expected that there is strict and enforced regulation about audit opinion criteria for being
continuously listed on the stock exchange. In other words, there is no tolerance at all for
companies with audit opinion other than unqualified opinion to be able to publicly trade their
stocks in the market. The main purpose of this proposed regulation is to promote good
governance that managements must prepare financial statements in accordance with
accounting standards.